Contemporary · Architecture

Musée Maillol

Paris

Musée Maillol is a private museum located at 61 rue de Grenelle in Paris. Created by Dina Vierny, who was the muse and model of Aristide Maillol, it brings together numerous works by Maillol and a modern art collection from the 20th century, including painting, sculpture, and drawing. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions devoted to 20th-century and contemporary art.

The museum was inaugurated in an hôtel particulier named hôtel Bouchardon in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. Its renovation, led by Dina Vierny and architect Pierre Devinoy, took more than fifteen years. The interior layout was designed by Pierre Devinoy. The museum offers approximately 2,500 square meters of space, including rooms dedicated to Maillol’s works, permanent collections, and areas for temporary exhibitions. The basement was restored to house a restaurant previously known as Cabaret La Fontaine des Quatre-Saisons. The museum was operated by Culturespaces until 2020, and its reopening in 2021 was managed by Dina Vierny’s heirs with support from Tempora.

Map showing the location of Musée Maillol in Paris
Location of Musée Maillol in Paris

Nearby Objects

Museum at Rue de Grenelle

Musee Maillol is a private museum located at 61 rue de Grenelle in Paris. It was created by Dina Vierny, who was the muse of the sculptor Aristide Maillol. The museum presents numerous works by Maillol, along with a modern art collection from the 20th century in painting, sculpture, and drawing. It also hosts temporary exhibitions devoted to 20th century and contemporary art. For the interior layout, Dina Vierny asked architect Pierre Devinoy to design the museum's arrangement. Until 2020, the museum was operated by Culturespaces, a subsidiary of the Engie group. The Dina Vierny-Maillol Museum foundation has been recognized as a public utility by the French state and as a foundation under American law.

History and Renewal of the Musee Maillol

The Musee Maillol was inaugurated in the hotel particulier known as the hotel Bouchardon in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. Its history is closely linked to Dina Vierny, whose life work the museum represents. Vierny had been Aristide Maillol's model from the age of fifteen, and she later posed for several of his painter friends, including Henri Matisse, Pierre Bonnard, and Raoul Dufy. In 1964, she donated Maillol's monumental sculptures to the State, and Andre Malraux, then Minister of Culture, placed them outdoors in the Tuileries gardens. That same year, Vierny created a foundation to promote Maillol's works to the public.

The renovation of the museum was led by Dina Vierny and architect Pierre Devinoy and took more than fifteen years. This work included restoring the basement so that it could house a restaurant, which had previously been Cabaret La Fontaine des Quatre-Saisons since 1951. The museum now offers approximately 2,500 square meters of space, with rooms dedicated to Maillol's works, permanent collections, and temporary exhibitions.

The hotel particulier itself also has earlier artistic associations: poet Alfred de Musset lived there between 1824 and 1840, and painter Paul Baudry established his workshop in the same building. In 2013, the museum faced a crisis after the court-ordered liquidation of Tecniarte, the organizer of its gallery exhibitions since 2009, which led to the postponement of the exhibition The Kiss in Art: From the Renaissance to Today. The museum resumed activities in 2016 under the programming management of Culturespaces, and after that contract ended in 2020, its reopening in 2021 was managed by Dina Vierny's heirs with support from the Belgian cultural operator Tempora.

Museum Management and Public Services

Since 2015, the museum administration has managed Musee Maillol through Culturespaces, an organization created by Bruno Monnier. Under this arrangement, Culturespaces is responsible for designing two temporary exhibitions each year, as well as managing public reception and the route through the permanent collection. It also organizes ticketing and commercial spaces, including the boutique and cafe. The management contract between Culturespaces and the Fondation Dina Vierny-musuee Maillol continues without a specified end date.